Page 90 of Next in Line
“You’re clearly a great master baiter,” Maggie replies with wide eyes. “But I wonder how much practice it’ll take for me to become one?”
Marv removes his ball cap and scratches his head. “I think you’ve caught on quick here these past few weeks, so hell, I’ll give you the promotion right now if you want.”
“You will?” Maggie exclaims.
He shrugs, his feeble posture hunching over the countertop. “You pretty much gave yourself a promotion on your first day of work here, darlin’, so I don’t see the trouble with adding master baiter to it.”
Maggie turns to me with a bright, beaming smile. “Did you hear that, Sam? I was just promoted!” She snaps the lid shut on the minnow bucket and sticks a sheet to it. “There you go, sir. Barb will ring you up in the tackle shop.”
The guy nods his thanks and turns to leave, offering me a bemused shake of the head as he goes.
Maggie props her elbows on the counter. “Maggie Hudson, Marv’s Bait and Tackle marketing director and master baiter. Has a good ring to it, right?”
I can’t let this go on any further, right? I have to tell her, don’t I? She stands up quickly, bending down to grab her spring jacket. “You ready to head home?”
I nod and pull my lips into my mouth to stop myself from replying, “Come on,” because the puns have already gone way too far.
She waves goodbye to Marv and comes around the counter, stretching her hand out to mine. With a smile, I lace my fingers with hers, and we head out to my truck.
It’s springtime in Boulder now, which means Maggie and I have been together for a few months. She went back to Utah after the big Sterling mess to tell her parents about their breakup. They were understanding and sympathetic and all the good things a family who truly loves each other would be. Then, without my knowing, she packed up the rest of her stuff and moved in with Miles and Kate so she could start looking for a job around Boulder.
It wasn’t something she discussed with me aside from our fictional future musings that one night in bed. She said she wanted to make the decision on her own. She made the mistake of listening to a boyfriend’s ideas for her future once, and she wanted to take her own life in her hands this time. She also took it upon herself to become Marv’s new permanent employee of the month. They’re an odd pairing, but no more crazy than Maggie and me.
“What do you want to do tonight?” Maggie asks, nudging me with her shoulder as I open the truck door for her.
“Drink and have sex,” I reply as she hops up into the cab.
“Weird, me too!” she exclaims with wide eyes. “But before we head to your place, we have to stop to check out this townhouse that Kate called me about. I guess it’s the same one that she and her ex bought together. He’s selling it, and it’s right next door to Lynsey. Lynsey is totally crazy, and I think she’d be a fun neighbor.”
I nod and close the door to my truck, walking over to the driver’s side with my brow furrowed in thought. The idea of Maggie moving out of Miles’s house in Jamestown and closer to me in Boulder is a good thing. I should be happy because it’ll make seeing her every day that much easier. But this townhouse idea irritates me.
A short while later, we pull up in front of Kate’s old place on the east side of Boulder. I’d been here once before for a party. It’s a secluded two-story townhouse with a great view of the Flatirons, but it’s no cabin in the woods.
Maggie walks through with the realtor and makes comments about all the rustic finishes and how much she loves the natural lighting. And I can’t fault her for it because it’s a great space. But it’s not with me.
And I would have thought after all that dreaming Maggie did early on, she’d be on the same page as me. Hell, I told Miles I would marry his sister before I even knew she loved me back. I’m all in, no question. So why isn’t she pushing for us to move in together?
We end up in the kitchen, and the agent gives us some space to talk it over. Maggie’s eyes are wide and excited as she says, “This is perfect. It’s a little expensive for me because Marv doesn’t pay the greatest, but I could probably find a roommate. I need to make some more friends in Boulder anyway.”
“You don’t need more friends,” I reply grumpily. “You’re with me all the time anyway. And besides, you’ve been hanging out with Kate, and Lynsey, and their friend, Dean, I thought.”
She huffs out a laugh. “I know, but still. It’s nice to meet new people.”
“If you have a roommate, then they’re going to hear everything we do,” I reply, feeling the childish pout on my face but not giving a fuck.
She smiles a sexy smile that makes my dick thump with life. “We can do that stuff at your place. I think this space could really work for me. Not too far from Marv’s Bait and Tackle either, which is nice.”
I pull my lower lip into my mouth, chewing it for a moment before I blurt out, “Or you could move in with me.”
Her eyes widen as the corners of her mouth curve up into a smile. “Move in with you?”
I shrug like it’s no big deal, which just makes her smile grow even more. “Yeah, that’s what I said.”
“Do you actually want me to move in with you, Sam?” she asks, crossing her arms under her beautiful water balloon breasts.
I shrug again. “I mean…it makes sense.”
She frowns. “That’s not very romantic.”
